Marked "W. Richards", this double-barreled muzzle-loading rifle has a 'twisted' or 'Damascus' barrel. The type of barrel refers to 'Damascus Steel', an early form of steel developed in near Eastern countries which had wavy markings. Mr. William Westley Richards' established his gunmaking factory in Birmingham, England in 1814. The gun is either a product of Westley Richards' factory or one of the many trade knockoffs in the early twentieth century intended to mimic the Richards' gun. (westley richards.com).

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